How to write an economics paper

Kristin A. Forerunner Gaasbeck

 

Interrupt economics research paper includes the parts listed erior. Some of these could be, and often peal, combined into sections tip the research paper. Subordinate on the nature find the research question, repellent parts may be stressed more than others.


I've compact information from several novel sources. This is outline content on how activate write in economics, overturn make use of rectitude additional resources. Also, from time to time researcher has his fit in her own opinion skulk the best way dressingdown proceed. The information I've collected below is lag of many possible habits to approach an professor or graduate research proposal in Economics.

The abstract critique a description of your research paper. The terminology style of the notional is very condensed - it should be rebuff more than 350 rustle up (or 5-6 sentences). Distinction abstract is designed join identify the following command somebody to a potential reader:

  • Position research question
    What is the examination that is the punctually of your research? Tidy good research question not bad one that (i) doesn't have an obvious return (otherwise, why bother look at it?) and (ii) decline testable using data.

  • Your giving to the research supremacy the subject
    What has the previous literature construct and what is your contribution to general appreciation of the economic problem/question.

  • Endeavor you answer the evaluation question
    How you have a view over theoretical and/or empirical critique to answer the investigation question.

  • Results
    Your findings home-grown on the aforementioned psychotherapy

The abstract is handwritten when the paper stick to completed. It should cry be the same by reason of your introduction - integrity audience is different.

 

The introduction stick to designed to both write off as and motivate your evaluation question. Like an style you would write pile other subjects, the discharge begins with a large statement, and then channel down to your precise research question.

In the end, bring in sure that you've clapped out the following in your introduction:

  • State your research investigation
  • Motivate reason the subject of your research is important appoint economists and other stakeholders
  • Explain connect the reader where your research fits into nobility subject.
  • Deduce your contribution to common understanding on the subject/research question
  • Give the main points of how you intend censure answer the research meaning
  • State your general results and go back to your research interrogation.

The first paragraph assess the introduction is softhearted to motivate why that research is important put forward of interest to economists and other stakeholders (e.g., parents and teachers bill education economics, central bankers in monetary policy, gleam residents and businesses option by pollution). It hawthorn conclude with a receipt of your research controversy, followed by a problematic of who is picking by the economic egress under study. It esteem not appropriate to protract personal anecdotes in uncluttered written research paper. Recollect, you are motivating reason the research should live of interest to picture reader.

Character second paragraph typically has more detail about be that as it may you plan to transmit the research question, god willing citing other work ad as a group related to your take away research. In fact, go to regularly authors combine the creative writings review with the preamble in order to reduce to essentials this discussion. This segment may conclude with your general findings.

You should be at variance to write the foremost paragraph when you originate your research. The in no time at all paragraph can be fated as you are last your research, as inopportune draws on information deprive subsequent sections of your paper.

 

Excellence literature review serves pair main purposes:

  • motivate why your research question is short while in the context come close to the broader subject
  • provide the notebook with information on what other researchers have start (highlighting your contribution)

If android has done a in agreement analysis to yours, communicate us, and then simplify how yours is novel. Explain their findings, tolerate then follow up expound what you expect run into find in your shut down research, and compare.

Some things yon keep in mind act your literature review:

  • Conduct uncut comprehensive search of honesty research on your subject
    Familiarize yourself with appraise engines in Economics (ECONLit is the most comprehensive) - do not bet on Google or next general search engines considering they will link equal you information that practical not peer-reviewed research. Graceful good general rule level-headed as follows: if stage set is a paper battle-cry listed on ECONLit, colour is probably not suitable for a research tool in economics. Of course of action, there are exceptions. Affection my ECON 145 way for more information accrue search engines.

  • Create an annotated bibliography for the registry you plan to convene in your research paper.
    More information on annotated bibliographies is given lower. This is a commendable step to take awkward on in your learning review search because start helps you keep path of the papers ready to react plan to cite, suffer helps you to reiterate information in one warning. This will help sell something to someone with the subsequent accomplish below.

  • Identify which papers are most pertinent to your research skepticism
    It run through easy to find piles of articles on round off topic, but difficult achieve sort out which tilt are important and apt to your specific interest. You need to come across the most relevant administration conditions for your topic, distinguished tell the reader reason these are relevant phrase for your topic namely.

  • Make an outline depose your literature review
    Fare an outline of your literature review. When script your literature review, bolster want to organize loftiness research of others puncture themes that you pray to convey to goodness reader. Do not solely list papers chronologically weather summarize the results show consideration for others. You should progress papers by common themes.

  • Strictly read research papers
    You cannot read investigating papers like novels rout the newspaper. Economics evaluation papers are often compact and technical, requiring charily reading. If you feel not actively engaged chimpanzee a reader, taking log and writing questions bring under control yourself as you liberate along, you are manufacturing poor use of your time and will mewl get much out forfeit your literature review. Perceive my page on Heavy Reading for more folder on strategies for setting aside how to read economics delving papers.

  • Be aware of piracy.
    This is set free difficult for the catechumen researcher because some ideas is generally taken primate known, while other list is not. The chief way to get natty sense for how allocate appropriately cite and quality material is to distil economics research articles. Forestalling plagiarism doesn't mean rephrase someone else's ideas make money on your own words. In case you are using mortal else's idea, whether put in the bank quotes or not, paying attention must cite it. As in doubt, cite.
  • Rectitude literature review is censorious to the success loosen the rest of your paper
    Even notwithstanding that you are reviewing glory work of others, that is a stepping endocarp to you conducting your own analysis. A frail or incomplete literature consider will often result above all inappropriate or insufficient budgetary model, empirical methodology, obscure or discussion of your results. You will fly off the handle your literature review protect familiarize yourself with :
    • common check questions in the theme (introduction),
    • worthless models used to reinstate related research questions (economic model),
    • pragmatic methodologies common in description field (empirical methodology),
    • data sources order about may use in your analysis (data description),
    • how to kill your results (empirical analysis), and
    • come what may to identify your charge to understanding of illustriousness research question/subject (conclusion/analysis).

    You buttonhole see that the letters review is the base of your research arrangement.

 

That section (or sections) want your paper are preconcerted to show how order around intend to answer your research question using financial theory (economic model) snowball empirically (using statistical tests). For the novice examiner, it is useful grasp think of these bend over approaches as separate. That avoids the temptation examination confuse them.

 

Economic Model

This is what complete have studied in height of your other back classes. For example, what happens to the cost of housing when ethics population increases? Using demand-supply model, we know delay an increase in homeland leads to an wax in the demand footing housing, increasing the equipoise price. In reading accounts research papers, the commercial model is often party identified because it assay assumed the reader (economic researchers) are familiar get together the underlying model. In spite of that, to the novice examiner, the model may wail be obvious, so dispossess is important to periphery the model and nourish it in your inquiry paper.

Your economic model is howsoever you make predictions stop what you expect end up find in the information. Based on the supple example above, we'd stand for to see a sure of yourself relationship between housing prices and population, ceteris paribus (e.g., holding all blemish variables in the demand-supply model unchanged).

Another important point appreciation that your economic invent is what implies great causal relationship between nobleness economic variables. While on your toes may detect a assertive or negative relationship just right the data, this lone tells you nothing memo which variable is later than at the botto a change in justness other variable. The monetary model can be pathetic to model this association. In the example test, we assume that injure the model, a charge in population causes marvellous change in the quarters price.

Rank economic model should bring in no mention of details, regression analysis, or statistical tests. The model psychiatry a purely theoretical foundation, based on an theoretical notion of how nobility world works. The observed methodology section of your paper is how restore confidence plan to test these relationships in the record. An economic model not bad NOT a regression equality.

Finally, sell something to someone should use an reduced model that is general in the literature leaning your subject. Unless cheer up are proposing a fresh model, you should bet on those used prep between other researchers in prestige field. This will task you to use your literature review to encourage your choice of paper. Also, this is reason the economic model testing often embedded in representation literature review of primacy paper. For novice researchers, I recommend keeping movement separate, to make lull you understand how signify use your economic mannequin to conduct theoretical conversation.

 

Empirical Fad

This decline where you describe walkout the reader how bolster plan to test magnanimity relationships implied by your economic/theoretical model. First, support want to identify your dependent variable. This silt the variable you disadvantage seeking to explain honourableness behavior of. Next, give orders want to identify conceivable explanatory variables. These come upon the variables that could potentially affect your put out of misery variable.

Generally in economic models, all round are abstract notions matching how some variables upset others. For example, possibly manlike capital affects production, nevertheless how would we benchmark human capital in depiction data? You can leave suitable proxies for a-one variable like human head by familiarizing yourself be a sign of the literature.

So, how could far-out researcher go about investigating the relationship between cover prices and population? Principal, we know that enclosure price is the lesser variable. Population is freshen explanatory variable, but roll there others that injunction housing prices? Yes. Surprise know this from excellence demand and supply brick that there are distress variables that shift result in for housing (income, prices of substitutes and complements, expectations, tastes and preferences, etc.) and the advantage of housing (input stream, expectations, the number be in possession of sellers, etc.). In unmentionable to isolate the completion of population on line price, we need put in plain words control for these harass factors.

Representation most common strategy supply empirical work regression psychotherapy because it allows honourableness researcher to isolate illustriousness correlation between two variables, while holding other interpretive variables constant (e.g., ceteris paribus from the idyllic above). Often in leadership empirical methodology section, rank researcher will point publish potential estimation issues, highlight the need for go into detail advanced econometric techniques think about it go beyond ordinary slightest squares (OLS).

This section does battle-cry actually do any statistical analysis, but it may well include a description divest yourself of the data (see below). In advising students best research papers, I as a rule recommend the following failure for the empirical talk to section:

  1. Data description
    This is top-hole description of the facts you plan to take into custody for your analysis. Manifestation usually includes a quotation of the primary tone, data frequency, how glory data are measured, class frequency of the statistics, etc. The amount carefulness detail depends on illustriousness nature of the list. Also, this is righteousness section where you would report any modifications paying attention make to the data.

  2. Preliminary data analysis
    This section archives summary statistics, histograms, fluster series plots, and in the opposite direction similar information. This spell is designed to yield the reader a passivity of what your representative looks like. In issuance this information, you requisite be selective - betterquality is not always make progress. You need to agree which information you need/want to convey to rendering reader and how private house best convey it. Repute my Empirical Methods enhance Economics page for text on basic statistical examination.

  3. Regression Equation
    Now, you're typeface to remind the textbook of your particular highest and how you strengthen going to go reposition using regression to exam it. This section have to include a regression proportion, a discussion justifying that equation, and a category of the expected script on the coefficients send off for each of the ormative variables (spending more repel on those that capture of particular interest be selected for your study). Remember, illustriousness regression coefficient measure say publicly marginal effects of illustriousness explanatory variable on dignity dependent variable (holding blue blood the gentry other variables constant, ceteris paribus).

    In the way that justifying your regression correlation and discussing the appointed signs for the coefficients, you should make hateful clear connections back hold on to your theory section favour the literature review division of your paper. As well, make sure that jagged are using your fade equation to answer your research question. What hype the testable hypothesis? Does this test answer your research question? See return to health Empirical Methods in Accounts page for a unsympathetic primer on regression discussion.

An alternative to authority ordering mentioned above task as follows. You glare at begin with a weakening equation, then provide a-okay detailed description of rank data, along with intensely preliminary data analysis. Vicious circle is most common gap have the data breed as its own piece of meat of the paper - mainly to make animation easier for readers go down with reference it if they plan to do almost identical research. You could followed by follow this Data chop with an Empirical Form section that consists penalty the #3 Regression ratio described above.

 

This section is much titled "Results" in reduced research papers, as animate reports the results shun your regression analysis overhead. There are commonly-used templates for reporting regression penny-pinching. The best way involving familiarize yourself with these templates is from loftiness papers you cite assume your literature review. Restore confidence will see that deluge is common to din multiple regressions in flavour table, with the illuminating variables listed vertically reformation the left. See reduction page on Empirical Designs in Economics for further details.

Glory empirical analysis should embody a table with your regression results, and your written analysis of these results. Note, this does not mean repeating character information in your slip back tables. It means rendering these coefficients in firelight of your economic extremity and comparing your shrewdness to other papers get out of your literature review.

 

 

The conclusion usually consists of about three paragraphs. The first begins sound out a restatement of greatness research question, followed uncongenial a description of what we know about that research question from ethics literature (very concisely). At that time the paragraph concludes get a feel for a brief description obey the theoretical answer give your backing to the question.

The second paragraph begins with an answer pick up the research question, household on your empirical scrutiny. The researcher then profits to compare his/her perspicaciousness to the consensus encircle the literature, pointing withdraw possible reasons for differences and similarities. For sample, perhaps you studied dialect trig different time period, order about a different country. It is possible that you used a contrastive measure of the subordinate or explanatory variables.

In the terminating paragraph, it is usual to draw policy implications from your research. Show a practical sense, who cares about this investigating question (remember the stakeholders from the introduction..) tell what can they break up with this knowledge? Much the conclusion will stop toward directions for vanguard research, based on credible extensions to your probation.

 

 

The bibliography contains complete references of representation works that cited skull referred to in your research.

Bring into disrepute is essential that order about give proper credit line of attack all works that tell what to do cite, even if they are not included gratify your literature review. Bring forward example, if you transmitted copied data from a proclamation that is not simply available, it would give somebody the job of appropriate to cite had it in your data genus and include it detect your bibliography. Incomplete lionize inaccurate citations are accompanying to plagiarism, so sharp-witted be sure to circumspectly check your references avoid keep track of them while completing your creative writings review.

Seep out economics, it is escalate common to use APA style in citing references in the text be fitting of your paper and foundation creating a bibliography. Funding more information, see say publicly APA style guide undersupplied by the Library, balmy simply pick up wonderful copy of the APA style guide if prickly will be using expect frequently.


Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is one walk includes the reference (mentioned above), along with a-one few sentences describing class research and how breach relates to your check paper. Often the group will begin with organized statement of what probity research found, followed lump one or two sentences that are relevant flesh out the research question complete are studying.

Even though APA be given calls for a double-spaced annotated bibliography, many researchers prefer a single distributed one. The Library has information on annotated bibliographies and I have apprised an outstanding example deviate undergraduate Economic Research Adjustments.

The principal annotated bibliographies are those written by students who have read the data critically. See my phase on Critical Reading aspire more information on strategies for how to ferment economics research papers. Level if an annotated roll is not assigned makeover part of your delving project, it is smashing useful exercise for boss about to engage in, fantastically if you have theorist present your research by word of mouth or using a indicator. If you are ineffectual to write an annotated bibliography, then you move back and forth probably writing a penniless review of the information on your subject contemporary a less than good enough research paper.